Hydrophenanthryl-carboxylic acids and esters and process for preparing same



2,889,355 Patented June 2, 1959 United States Pate he In general, the process involves'treating a steroid lac- 5. tam containing rings C and D having the structure HYDROPHENANTHRYL-CARBOXYLIC ACIDS CH3 ESTERS AND PROCESS FOR PREPAR- a a H lNG SAME r 5 N Leopold Ruzicka and Hans Heusser, Zurich, Switzerland, O D co assignors to Ciba Pharmaceuticallroducts, Inc, Sum- 7 E mit, NJ. fi

No Drawing. Application May 18, 1955 10 Serial No. 509,393 with a basic agent, preferably an alkali metal hydroxide, Clams Pnonty FFPEFP swltzefland May 1954' for example, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. 9 Claims. (Cl. 260 -4685) The treatment with the basic agent is advantageously carried out at a raised temperature and under pressure,

in the presence of a solvent,ssuch as an alcohol.

This inventionrelates to hydrophenanthryl-carboxyhc The Steroid lactams used as starting materials may I aclds of whlch the Imgchas the smllcture ,t contain further substituents, for example, free orfunc- L CHE tionally converted hydroxyl or 0x0 groups, for example,

esterified or etherified or enolized or ketalized hydroxyl or 0x0 groups, especially all in the 3-position. They may also contain double bonds, for example, starting from the fGHgOHwOOR S-carbon atom, that is to say, in the 4,5- or 5,6-position. In order to prepare the steroid lactams the corresponding 5 substituted 11,17-dioxo-testane compounds are converted r I into the 17-monoximes, and the latter are subjected to a in which R represents hydrogen or a lower alkyl group, Beckmann rearrangement g methyl, ethyl, P py and the like- More P The products are useful as intermediate products. larly, the invelltiOfl t0 y -4.-ket0 The following diagram shows the synthesis of aldododecahydrophenanthryl- (1)'-propionic acids and th e 68 sterone starting with the hydrophenanthryl-carboxylic ters thereof, and the process for their preparation. acids:

CH3 7 j I CH3 OH 00011 Ph Ph I/.\OZ V 000C113 OH (1) A020 Ph-MgBr zNa Aeo- H0 lAcOH,

A030, Py

I of) 0 cocoa; coon V 0mm l /V oro I lNBS V 0mm CH Br omoae 0000113 ooooH s 000011, I on on, HBr KOAc inacetone p I AoO--- no no it 1010;, Py i omoao 'omoac omoac oo0on, voooom B1: t

(011mm para-toluene- C 0 0 OH, I V (1) Semicarbazide 1 I (2) Pyruvic acid 0= 0...

emo e Aldo!terone-21-monoacetate Example 1 part of 3oz-acetoxy-11,17-diketo-17a-aza-D-homotestane is heated in 150 parts by volume of an alcoholic solution of caustic potash of percent strength for 5 hours in a pressure vessel at 150 C. The solution is then acidified with ZN-hydrochloric acid (pH=3-4) and concentrated to a considerable extent in vacuo. After adding sodium sulfate, the reaction product is extracted with chloroform. The chloroform extract yields 0.95 part of a crude product, which exhibits in the ultraviolet spectrum a characteristic absorption at 238 my. (log e=4.05). Separation of this crude product into acids and neutral bodies yields 0.9 part of pure A -2,13- dimethyl 4 keto 7a hydroxy dodecahydrophenanthryl-(l)-propionic acid, which exhibits in the u1traviolet spectrum an absorption maximum at 238 III/A (log e=4.05). The acid can be obtained only with difliculty in a crystalline form. After drying it in a high vacuum the amorphous mass melts at 80-95 C.

By esterifying the above acid with an ethereal solution of diazo-methane, there is obtained A -2,l3-dimethyl-4- keto-7u-hydroxy-dodecahydrophenanthryl-(l) propionic acid methyl ester.

The above starting material can be prepared as follows:

1 part of 3u-acetoxy-l1,17-diketo-testane melting at 61 C. is heated at the boil for 2 hours in parts by volume of a solution of hydroxylamine acetate in ethanol (prepared by boiling 1 part of hydroxylamine hydrochloride, 2 parts of sodium acetate and 20 parts by volume of ethanol for a short time and then filtering). The solution is then evaporated to one half of its volume, mixed with 50 parts by volume of water, and then the oxime is separated out first in an amorphous form and then in a crystalline form. The precipitate is filtered off with suction, washed with a mixture of water and methanol (2:1) and then dried by evaporation with benzene in vacuo. The yield amounts to 1.03 part of a crude product melting at 188 C. By recrystallization from a mixture of acetone and hexane, the 3a-acetoxy- 1l,l7-diketo-testane-l7-monoxime is obtained in well formed needles melting at 194 C.

1 part of 3a-acetoxy-l1,17-diketo-testane-l7-monoxime is dissolved in 40 parts by volume of absolute pyridine, mixed with 1 part of para-acetylamino-benzene sulfonic acid chloride and the whole is heated for 2 hours at 70 C. The reaction mixture is then mixed with 120 parts by volume of water, and heated on the water bath for a further 2 hours. By the addition of water the total volume is made up to 240 parts by volume, and the mixture is acidified with 2N-sulfuric acid while cooling. Extraction with a mixture of ether and chloroform (3:1) yields 1 part of a crystalline crude product, which melts at 292 C. By recrystallization of the 3a-acetoxy-11,17- diketo-l7a-aza-D-homo-testane from methanol there are obtained needles which melt at 311 C. The compound timeterregion characteristic absorption bands at 1733, 1706, 1678, 1631 and 1603 cm.-

What is claimed is:

1. Hydrophenanthryl compounds having the general formula:

wherein R is a member selected from the group consisting of a free and an esterified hydroxyl group, and R is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and lower alkyl.

2. A compound of the structural formula:

CHx-CHr-CO OH wherein R is a member selected from the group consisting of a free and an esterified hydroxyl group, with a basic agent selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal hydroxide and an alkali metal alcoholate so as to produce a hydrophenanthryl-(1)-propionic acid of the formula exhibits in the infra-red spectrum in the 1700 cen- 15 wherein R; has the meaning given above.

7. A process in accordance with claim 6, wherein the reaction is carried out at a temperature of about 150 C. in a closed reaction vessel.

8. A process in accordance with claim 6, wherein the propionic acid compound is esterified.

9. A process which comprises treating 3-acetoxy-l1, 17-diketo-17a-aza-D-homo-testanc with an alcoholic solution of caustic potash so as to produce A -2,13-dimethyl-4- keto-7a-hydroxy dodecahydrophenanthryl (1) propionic acid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Picha July 17, 1956 OTHER REFERENCES Fieser et al.: Natural Products Related to Phenanthrene, 3rd.ed., pp. 646-670 (1949).

Friedmanrret al.: Chem. and Industry, September 15, 1951, p; 777.

Pincus et aL: TheHormones, vol. 3, p. 538 (1955).

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 2,889,355 Juice 2, 1959 Leopold Ruzicka et 211 It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of October 1959.,

(SEAL) Attest:

ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents KARL H, AXLINE Attesting Oificer iii! 

1. HYDROPHENANTHRYL COMPONDS HAVING THE GENERAL FORMULA: 